James Frysinger in USMA 16919 quoted Science magazine of December 21 as saying: : > In an epic snafu, the controllers of the Mars Climate > Orbiter failed to convert English units of force into > metric ones
My understanding of the snafu was exactly the reverse of Science's. The NASA flight controllers ordered the Orbiter to make course corrections in newton seconds and the Orbiter, built by Lockheed Martin, interpreted the orders to be in pound-force seconds Hence the Orbiter over-reacted. Joseph B.Reid 17 Glebe Road West Toronto M5P 1C8 TEL. 416-486-6071
